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High health costs are keeping Americans up at night — nearly half of working-age adults say they could not pay an unexpected $1,000 medical bill within 30 days, according to a 2018 Commonwealth Fund survey. Several estimates suggest one of five inpatient emergency department visits may lead to surprise bills. The problem has captured the interest of lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle because these bills have such an outsized impact on consumers and are widely regarded as unfair. But why do people get surprise bills in the first place and what can policymakers do to address the problem?        
Source: The Commonwealth Fund: Blog - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: blogs